Second Guesses, Second Chances

Chapter 17

Tori

"...And then, just like that, Tawny Walker Black basically slashed both of her friends to pieces and decorated the room with their entrails and blood. The cops couldn't figure out who was who by the time they found what was left of them," Jade explains, an amused smirk slowly showing itself as she recalls the events of her favourite movie, 'The Scissoring' . The more she says about it, the less I want to eat my burger, but I manage to choke it down. I've never been a fan of horror movies, but just seeing Jade so talkative and excited about something makes my heart happy. The only other times I've seen her so animated were when she was screaming at someone for wazzing her off, so the fact that she's in a good mood is a breath of fresh air.

"...But in the director's cut, there's a scene where Tawny takes some of the entrails and takes them home to turn them into a meatloaf made out of her friends. How cool is that?" She asks as she pops another french fry into her mouth.

"That's pretty... neat," I say, trying not to puke up my burger.

"Pretty neat? Dude, it's hilarious!" she quips, her smirk turning into a smile. I weakly smile back, trying my best to be happy for her even though I really don't understand how anyone could find a meatloaf made out of someone's mangled corpse-parts amusing. Jade finishes her fries, and we talk some more before asking the red robot server for our cheque.

"I don't mind paying for this one," She says as she reaches into her purse to find her wallet.

"It's okay, Jade, I got this," I reply, doing the same.

"No Vega, you just sit tight and I'll handle it," Jade says.

"C'mon, let me pay! Please?" I ask.

"Why don't you two split the bill?" The red robot interrupts us just as we find our wallets. The goth and I both look at the robot with a confused look before completely ignoring it and resuming our little spat.

"You buy me coffee all the time! Let me pay for something for once!" I beg.

"NO!" Jade screams in the way she usually does to scare other people into submission, but she and I have moved past that, and I'm not as afraid of her as I used to be.

"Jade..." I respond, a hint of warning in my voice. Jade glares at me for pushing back, but ultimately sits back in her seat as I take out my credit card. I give her a triumphant smile as the red robot hands me the receipt.

"No more hazelnut lattes for you, I guess," Jade mutters sarcastically as we get up to leave.

"Are you sure about that?" I ask, playfully poking her shoulder. She only rolls her eyes in return. Eventually, we reach her car.

"My dad's in Sacramento for a business conference and took my stepmom with him, so we essentially have the house all to ourselves for the night," she says as she puts on her seatbelt and puts the keys into the ignition. "Do you wanna come over?" I perk up a little at her question, excited at the thought of spending the night with my friend.

"Heck yeah!" I reply happily as Jade starts the car. We drive back to my place so I can grab some extra clothes and tell my mom that I'll be staying with Jade for the night. Suddenly, my phone buzzes.

Jade: Don't forget to bring your swimwear too

I frown at her message in confusion but do as she asks. After packing my belongings, I go back to her car, and we make our way to her house. Sure enough, as we pull into her driveway, I see that there aren't any lights on in the house. We go inside, and Jade turns a few of the lights on before leading me to her room. I lay my bag next to her desk as she rummages through her dresser for her bikini.